The Orangerie: Landscape Sketch Plan

Rooting contemporary buildings in a traditional environment is always a challenge, and the landscape setting of the twin apartment complexes called The Orangerie between the Mount Nelson and the Labia theatre on historic Orange Street / Annandale Road was no exception.

NWA were called in to contextualise the contemporary gardens in this historic setting as a requirement of Heritage Western Cape (HWC). The design produced a contemporary solution blending a classical axial layout of a gracht or long pond along which the scheme focusses.

A mix of traditional and exotic garden plants was used as well as waterwise indigenous species in a colour scheme of white, blue and pink. A colonnade, pergola, and stately pots were used around the scheme and no side was left undesigned.

Historic trees such as the Norfolk Island Pines on the sidewalk were retained and carefully worked around as was a large oak tree at the other end of the scheme. A major waterfall taking up a 3m height difference was clad in white Turkish marble and is the focal point of the axis providing necessary softening of the sounds of the city and traffic to residents.

Citrus and cherry trees were used to echo the first European planting history of the historic Company Gardens. As the scheme matures the trees and planting will come to maturity and bed the buildings comfortably into this important heritage area.